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WI+RE is transitioning to the UCLA Library WI+RE site . This website will be retired August 1, 2026. Resources are being updated to improve accessibility and accuracy, and some content may change. If you are unable to access this content due to a disability, please email uclawire@library.ucla.edu for assistance..

Turn Questions into Keywords

Created by Taylor Harper, Shannon Roux, Doug Worsham, Renee Romero

Develop your research questions into keywords before you search. Think about your topic from a variety of perspectives to generate a big list of keywords.

Give it a try

First, identify the core concepts in one of your research questions. Then, generate multiple synonyms and alternative phrasings for each core concept.

Need some more help?

Watch this quick video on crafting a savvy search strategy for more ideas on generating keywords for search:

Related Resources

Developing Research Questions and Creating Keywords 5-star editor review on merlot.org (Workshop)
Finding and Using Keywords in Context (Tutorial)
Start with Your Questions (Handout)
Start with your Questions Nominated for an ARLies award at the 2016 ARL Film Festival (Tutorial)
Turn Questions Into Keywords (Handout)
Using the UCLA Digital Library (Tutorial)

About this tutorial

Authors

Taylor Harper, Shannon Roux, Doug Worsham, Renee Romero

Contributors

Caitlin Meyer, UCLA Powell Library

Learning Outcomes

Identify core concepts in research questions
List core concepts as keywords
Construct alternative ways to express keywords
Organize keywords into advance search fields

Accessibility Information

Closed Captioning Available
WAVE tested - 0 errors - Jul 17, 2020

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